Nets rout Mavericks 127-88 to end 3-game slide
PHOENIX (AP) — Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to stun the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 114-105 on Monday night.
Devin Booker added 22 points and Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 12 rebounds, including a key layup with 35.8 seconds to play that gave the Suns a four-point lead. Phoenix entered with the worst record in the league before improving to 14-51, just ahead of the New York Knicks.
All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 for the Bucks, who have lost two straight games for the first time this season. Milwaukee shot 36.8 percent.
The Bucks led by 16 in the first half, only to trail by three in the third quarter.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 24 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 as San Antonio withstood Denver's closing rally.
The Nuggets fought back from 21 down and held the Spurs scoreless over the final 2 1/2 minutes, getting the final nine points to pull within one, but missed three shots in the last 16.2 seconds.
Jamal Murray missed a 3-pointer with 16.2 seconds to go and a runner five seconds later but the Nuggets maintained possession both times as the Spurs tipped the ball out of bounds. Aldridge then slapped Jokic's pass down and Rudy Gay was fouled after capturing the loose ball.
Gay missed the ensuing free throws with four seconds remaining. After the Spurs committed a foul on the initial inbounds, Nuggets guard Gary Harris missed a 3-pointer over Patty Mills in the left corner as time expired to give the Spurs their third straight win.
The Nuggets have lost 13 straight in San Antonio.
Murray finished with 25 points and Jokic had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Denver in its third consecutive loss.
CLIPPERS 113, LAKERS 105
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points, Lou Williams added 21 and the Los Angeles Clippers dealt another blow to the Los Angeles Lakers' fading playoff hopes.
Gallinari led six Clippers scoring in double figures while they comfortably maintained a lead over their Staples Center co-tenants down the stretch. The Clippers (37-29) took sole possession of seventh place in the Western Conference standings with their sixth win in eight games.
LeBron James scored 27 points and Rajon Rondo had his 32nd career triple-double, but the Lakers took their ninth loss in 12 games since they beat the Clippers on Jan. 31.
Rondo had a season-high 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the Lakers (30-34), who were coming off an embarrassing loss to Phoenix and played without ailing forward Brandon Ingram. Kyle Kuzma scored 13 points before limping off the floor with an apparent ankle injury with 6:04 left.
KINGS 115, KNICKS 108
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Buddy Hield scored 28 points and Harrison Barnes had 22 points and 10 rebounds in his best game with Sacramento as the Kings beat the woeful New York Knicks.
Harry Giles added 17 points for the Kings before getting ejected. Hield had seven assists and six rebounds to help them end a three-game losing streak. Sacramento remained three games behind San Antonio for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Barnes' scoring output was his highest in eight games since being acquired from Dallas at the trade deadline.
Alonzo Trier scored 29 points in 30 minutes off the bench for New York (13-51), which has the worst record in the NBA and was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention with 18 games remaining. Dennis Smith Jr. added 18 points but the Knicks have lost 22 of 25.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle each scored 30 points to rally New Orleans past Utah.
Anthony Davis had 15 points and 11 rebounds in three quarters for the Pelicans. Davis sat out all but the last second of the fourth, yet New Orleans still won its third straight game.
Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver scored 20 points apiece off the bench to lead the Jazz. Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 19 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and nine assists.
Utah took a 112-111 lead on Mitchell's layup with 43.9 seconds left. Elfrid Payton answered with a layup on the other end and Randle hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining.
Davis, often benched in the fourth quarter since his trade request, entered to guard the inbounder on the final sequence. He helped disrupt Utah's last play, closing out the comeback win for New Orleans.
After trailing most of the way, the Pelicans finally erased Utah's lead late in the fourth as Randle sparked a 22-2 run.
NEW YORK (AP) — DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points, Rodions Kurucs had 19 and Brooklyn snapped a three-game losing streak with an easy win over Dallas.
Caris LeVert added 18 points and Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 16 on a night when the Nets shook up their starting lineup but were fueled by their reserves. The 39-point margin was their most lopsided victory at home — and matched their biggest win overall — since moving to Brooklyn in 2012.
The Nets were routed by teams below them in the standings in their last three games but led nearly the entire way, with the lead ballooning to 44 points. Brooklyn moved back into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Dwight Powell scored 20 points and Luka Doncic had 16 for the Mavericks, who lost for the seventh time in eight games. Dallas did finally get Dirk Nowitzki a couple late baskets after he missed his first nine shots in what could have been his last game in Brooklyn.
MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade scored 14 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Miami won its season-high third straight home game by topping Atlanta.
It was the highest-scoring quarter of the season for Wade, and it helped the Heat beat the Hawks for the first time in four tries.
Josh Richardson scored 19 points and Justise Winslow added 18 for the Heat, who pulled into a tie with Charlotte for ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Vince Carter scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, for the Hawks. Kent Bazemore had 18 and Trae Young finished with 14 points and eight assists.